Anybody paying the slightest attention to the past 6 years of the Obama presidency likely has, on more than one occasion, given pause, straining to remember what was spoken so eloquently in any number of his speeches as a matter of policy during his 2 year-long campaign before his election to office and then attempted to match up those words with his current policies and actions... which, more often than not, resulted in either a complete 180 degree reversal or else a back door approach that more strongly resembles something that Gerald Ford or GHW Bush would have done.
As an independent progressive, I confess to having ground my teeth on all too many occasions as I learned how Obama reacted real time to most issues: from bailing out the criminal behavior of the banking system while doing little more than throwing a thin soup bone to the Middle Class stuck with underwater mortgages; the "Affordable Care Act" that SHOULD have been single payer Medicare for everyone; the indiscriminate use of drones; the ongoing foot shuffling over the tar sands pipeline; the still-on-the-table Pacific Rim trade agreement... the list goes on and on. And to be sure, as I discussed these things with both fellow progressives and Democrats, I've received a healthy dose of dunning and criticism for my position in calling out the President for how he legislates: as a closet Republican. (Given the current urgency of the situation, I never would have imagined that someone claiming to be a Democrat would have a worse record on the environment than Richard Nixon)
I know, I know... the argument that Boehner and McConnell have led an obstructionist movement against this presidency from day one is true - but Roosevelt had to deal with the same kind of resistance during the 30s and he still managed to get nominees confirmed, put people back to work and got legislation passed that helped the Middle Class more than the wealthy elite.
But now, it turns out that even the American Conservative agrees with me. Although the below - referenced article is somewhat lengthy, it barely contains its' exuberance for Obama's performance in office in the pursuit of conservative positions and does a very good job of outlining the most notable among them specifically. (Before the dunning remarks begin and the pitch forks and torches arrive at my door, please read the article. It also has a few compliments for Hillary - surprise...)
Obama Is A Republican
This, from people who once declared Obama to be, "... the most LIBERAL man in Congress." (Come to think of it, given his contemporaries in Max Baucus and Diane Feinstein, that might have been an accurate assessment at the time...)
Yes, it hurts. I was among the millions who bought into the "hope and change" tag line. And it's true: lord only knows how far down the sewer of history's failed states we'd have been had either McCain or Romney prevailed. But in Obama there was an expectation - one that turned out to be unrealistic - that was unfulfilled and it left many of us with the notion that we were betrayed. Maybe so... or, perhaps maybe not: after all, this is 21st century America, where one should wisely start out assessing everything with low expectations and then not be surprised if nothing really materializes.
BUT...
My hope is that - basing future selections on past performance, voting record and depth of intellect - progressives will be far more circumspect in their upcoming choice for a presidential nominee as well as other candidates. Gender, race or any other physical characteristic should never be used as a litmus test for the direction of leadership or the philosophical positions of any candidate ... and cargo containers full of money do not necessarily win elections.